Dredge having improved propelling means

ABSTRACT

A dredge in which the barge thereof carries a pair of forwardly located spuds each positioned on opposite sides of the dredge and a rearwardly located spud which is carried by an extendible portion of the barge at its aft end. The pair of spuds at the fore end portion of the barge are shiftable longitudinally of the barge along its sides. With all three spuds embedded in the underlying water bottom, the barge through cylinder means is pushed ahead relative to the rear spud between the forward two pairs of spuds as the dredging operation progresses.

United States Patent 119,

Davis Sept. 2. 1975 l l DREDGE HAVING IMPROVED PROPELLISG MEANS [76]Inventor; Carl E. Davis. Rt. 3 Box 3 l-D.

Edwardsbul'g- Mich. -19] l2 2: Filed: 0m. 25. 1973 21 Appl NCL. 409.759

[52] L15. Cl 1159:37 3 Int. Cl 1363b 2| 56 [58] Field of SearCh. l,llS/J; 3 73. 74; ll-l lb [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS515379 I'IXQJ Tilcomb. l Y i 37173 254F385! [211959 Ellicott. Jr. V l15/9 3003.454 IO l96| Shaloska cl 3]. l ll59 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 54R 649 N23 France l v v i l v i v .7 37/73 PrmzarE.\ummzrTr g\e M. Blix Auismm ExammcrSherman D. Basinger AllurHE). AgenL0r FirmOlLsch 8: Knoblock ABSTRACT A dredge in which the barge thereofcarries a pair of forwardly located spuds each positioned on oppositesides of the dredge and a rearwardly located spud which is carried b anextendible portion of the barge at its aft end. The pair of spuds at thefore end portion of the barge are shiftable longitudinally of the bargealong its sides. With all three spuds embedded in the underlying waterbottom the barge through cylinder means is pushed ahead relative to therear spud between the forward two pairs of spuds as the dredgingoperation progresses 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DREDGE HAVING IMPROVEDPROPELLING MEANS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to adredge having improved propelling means.

The dredge of this invention includes a barge part having a hull whichis adapted for flotation. A ladder is pivotally connected to theextendible at its forward end. A pair of spuds is mounted at the foreend portion of the hull with each spud being located at one side of thehull and being associated with means permitting the spuds to shiftlongitudinally relative to the barge part along the hull sides. At leastone other spud is located at the aft end of the barge part and issupported by an extendiable section of the barge part. The pair offorwardly located spuds and the rearwardly located spud are lowered intothe water and embedded in the under lying water bottom. Means areprovided for shifting the hull forwardly relative to the anchored rearspud and between the pair of anchored spuds located at the fore endportion of the hull. In this manner the hull and ladder are urgedselectively forwardly during the dredging operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dredge having improvedmeans of propulsion during the dredging operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dredge having a pair offorwardly located laterally spaced spuds between which the hull of thedredge is urged by at least one rearwardly positioned spud during thedredging operation.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon a reading ofthe inventions description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a top plan view of oneembodiment of a dredge which includes the propelling means of myinvention.

FIG. 2 is aside elevational view of the dredge of FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of FIg. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the spuds of the dredgeembedded in the underlying water bottom with the dredge located in afirst operative position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the spuds embedded inthe underlying water bottom with the dredge having been urged intoanother operative position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodimentillustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventionto the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the invention and its application andpractical use to thereby enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention.

Dredge I shown in the drawings includes a barge part 12 which includes ahull 13 supporting a cabin IS. A ladder part I4 is pivotally connectedto hall 13. Ladder I4 is of a float-type construction which pivotallysupports a cutter l6. Cutter I6 is drive connected to a hull supportedmotor 18 by a drive shaft 20. An overhead pulley support system 22connected between barge part I2 and cutter 16 serves to raise and lowerand to laterally shift the cutter relative to the barge part. The dredgethus far described is of a standard commerical application.

The means for propelling dredge 10 during a dredging operation includesa pair of forwardly mounted spuds 24 and a rearwardly mounted spud 26.Spuds 24 and 26 are each housed in a suitable sleeve 28 and areconnected by a cable 30 which extends from the upper end to the lowerend of the spud. Each cable 30 is wound around a pulley 32 which in turnis drive connected to a motor 34 secured to each sleeve 28. Rotation ofapulley 32 will cause the cable 30 wound therearound to be pulledupwardly or downwardly with the connected spud being raised or lowered.depending upon the direction of rotation of the associated motor 34. Themeans for individually raising and lowering spuds 24 and 26 may varyfrom construction to construction of the dredge.

Forward spuds 24 are located at opposite sides of bull I3 and are eachsupported for longitudinal shiftable movement relative to the hull bymeans of upper and lower spaced pairs of rollers 36. The rollers 36supporting each spud 24 are rotatably secured to the spud's sleeve 28and fit within spaced parallel guides 38 which allow the spud to beshifted fore and aft along the guides relative to the hull asillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Spud 26 at the aft end of barge part 12has its sleeve 28 secured to a support 40. Support 40 is connected tohull 13 of the barge part by means ofa pair of hydraulic power cylindermembers 42. Each cylinder member 42 includes a cylinder part 44 and anextendible retractable rod part 46. Cylinder parts 44 are carried byhull 13 while the free ends of rod parts 46 are secured to oppositetransverse portions of support 40. The simultaneous actuation ofcylinder members 42 causes the bull to be shifted relative to support40.

In operation. dredge II) will be floating upon a body of water 48 havinga bottom 50. Spuds 24 which are raised will be pushed toward the foreend of the barge part into the forward position shown in FIGS. I and 2.The spuds 24 and 26 are then lowered into water 48 and embedded in waterbottom 50 by actuation of motors 34. The dredging operation starts withcutter l6 lowered and located in cutting position along bottom 50 or thebank of water 48 and with cylinder members 42 being actuated. causinghull 13 to be pushed away from support 40 and urged forwardly betweenspuds 24. Hull I3 is so urged forwardly at a selected rate of speeduntil the spuds 24 are located at the rear ends of the guides 38 asillustrated in FIG. 5. At this time cylinder members 42 are deactivatedand rear spud 26 raised through the actuation of its motor 34. Once thelower end of spud 26 is free from water bottom 50, cylinder members 42will again be actuated to cause support 40 to be drawn forwardly towardhull I3. When support 40 is positioned in its forwardmost positionadjacent the hull 13, the cylinder members 42 are deactivated again andaft spud 26 again lowered and embedded into water bottom 50. Once spud26 has been reembedded into the water bottom. the spuds 24 will beraised and freed from bottom 50 and slid forwardly along guides 38.After both spuds 24 have been shifted into their forwardmost positionalong guides 38. the spuds will be lowered into and re-embedded in waterbottom 50, at which time cylinder members 42 are FSUZ.

again actuated to cause hull 13 to be urged foruardl; relative tosupport 40 and htfhkccl. spuds 24. This abo\e described sequentialoperation of mo\ ing spuds 24 and 26 and actuating Uitl1df members 42 isrepeated until a particular run of a dredging operation has beencompleted. it is to be understood that in 5011. constructions of thisimention it ma be preferable to have t\\ o spuds 26 carried b support40.

it is to be understood that the imention is not to be limited to thedetails abo\e gi\ en. but ma be modified within the scope of theappended claims.

What I claim is;

In a dredge having a barge part vthich includes a hull adapted forflotation and having fore and aft ends and port and starboard sidesextending betvt een said ends. a ladder pi\'otall connected to said hullat its fore end. the improvement comprising a first spud locatedrearwardl of said hull aft end. means for raising and lowering saidfirst spud into and out of embedded contact viith the bottom of a waterbod upon which said huil then floats. a pair of verticalh orientedsecond spuds. one of said second spuds located on the port side of saidhull forward! of said first spud. the other of said second sputi locatedon the tar oard side f aid hull tor ardl; of said tirst spud. means forraising and lowering said second spuds in their \ertica] orientationinto and ut of embedded contact with the bottom of said \xater bod \Kithsaid hull floating thereon. means securing said one second spud to theport side of said hull for guided shiftable mmement of said one secondspud along said port side independentl of said raising and iovtering ofsaid one second spud. means securing said other second spud to thestarboard side of said hull for guided shiftable mmement of said othersecond spud along said starboard side independentl of said raising andloviering of said other second spud. means connecting said first spud tosaid hull for shifting said hull forvt'ardix relative to said spud andbetween said second spuds vihen in embedded contact with said bottom andfor shifting said first spud rearwardly rclatne to said hull hen saidfirst spud is raised out of embedded contact viith said bottom.

2. The dredge of claim 1 herein said second spuds are directl oppositellocated across said hull.

* )r i t

2. The dredge of claim 1 wherein said second spuds are directlyoppositely located across said hull.